Today we complete the octave of Easter, the eighth day, the first day of the new creation. It is the day the neophytes, those baptized at the Easter Vigil would traditionally lay aside their white garments. When you go to mass today, notice how the prayers focus on baptism. It is also the day when we read about Doubting Thomas.
This may seem a strange coupling, the newly baptized and doubt. But that is only because we misunderstand the place of doubt on our lives. Doubt is not the opposite of faith.
On Sunday each section of the creed begins with "I believe." The opposite would not be doubt but denial.
I believe in God. (a believer)
I deny the existence of God. ( an atheist)
These are the two extremes, Doubt fall in the middle, but is closer to belief. Doubt questions but is willing to be convinced. Doubt is still listening.
The problem we face today is not Doubt, but its opposite, Suspicion. We live in a world where we are encouraged to be suspicious of any authority or institution. What we fail to see is how suspicion isolates us. If I am suspicious of all authority, then where do I go for answers?
Suspicion questions but is not really open to hearing the answer, because it will not trust the teacher, the source from which it could learn. Suspicion cannot accept the truth even when it hears it.
As Christians we are called be disciples: a word that means students. The true disciple is never content but always seeks to know more, to understand more fully. Doubt can be a powerful motivator, the voice that constantly questions, and listens for the answer. As the voice from the cloud told the apostles:
This is my chosen Son; listen to him
Today's gospel opens by telling us,
They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles (didache ton apostolon) and the communal life.
Notice that it does not say, "They sat at home alone and read their Bibles."
When we say we believe in "one, holy, catholic and apostolic church." We do not simply mean that it was founded on the apostles. We believe that the teaching role of the apostles continues in the Church even now. We believe that the Holy Spirit is alive and continues to lead the Church into an ever deepening understanding of our faith.
The apostles went out and established local communities. St Thomas went as far east as what we call Kerala, India. As they moved from place to place, the apostles passed on their teaching authority to local bishops (episkopoi), which as been handed down from generation to generation. Even now our bishops serve as the successors to the Apostles, to carry on the teaching.
We all have questions. There are always going to be pieces of the "teaching of the apostles" with which we wrestle. But do we question with the doubt of Thomas, or have we have we fallen into suspicion and mistrust?
As the father of the boy in Mark 9 exclaimed,
I do believe, help my unbelief.
Today's gospel says they devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and the communal life. Our doubts cannot be resolved in isolation. We bring our doubts, our unbelief, to the Church, we question and listen. We read the Bible and we also read the Catechism to help us understand. We join in the communal prayer of the Church, the liturgy. Even when we are not sure, we trust, because we remain grounded in love, not only love of God, but love of his people, love of the Church.
